4 ways Sam Darnold can exorcise the ghosts of MetLife Stadium
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold must ignore outside noise
New York can be an intimidating place for any opposing quarterback. The fans are rowdy and not afraid to do everything in their power to give the team a better chance of achieving success.
This can also work in the opposite way if they feel that the players or coaching staff aren’t putting in the necessary effort. Sam Darnold has experienced this first-hand, but whether this can help him lead the Carolina Panthers to victory is another matter.
The Giants fanbase knows that Darnold gets rattled under pressure. Not only when pass-rushers are in his face on the field but also with added noise from the stands.
What’s important for Darnold is blocking things out and taking things one series at a time. There is no margin for error anymore and this added sense of urgency has to bring around improved consistency.
New York is struggling. If Darnold can’t get it done in Week 7 things could turn ugly in a hurry.
Darnold seems like a cool customer away from the gridiron. Even if the production doesn’t really match this demeanor when push comes to shove.
Remaining focused on the task at hand and ignoring everything going on around Darnold is a good place to start. But that’s just a minimum requirement, in all honesty.